Enneagram Research Articles

Published Enneagram Research

• The Enneagram: A systematic review of the literature and directions for future research

  The article, titled "The Enneagram: A systematic review of the literature and directions for future research," is a comprehensive review of empirical research on the Enneagram, a popular typology used for understanding personality and interpersonal patterns. The authors, Joshua N Hook, Todd W Hall, Don E Davis, Daryl R Van Tongeren, and Mackenzie Conner, evaluate the Enneagram's reliability and validity, discuss its potential for personal and spiritual growth, and suggest directions for future research. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology in April 2021​.

• Enneagram in EM

  This is a lecture paired with facilitated small group sessions and is targeted towards emergency medicine residents and physicians.

• Enneagram typologies and healthy personality to psychosocial stress: A network approach

  The article "Enneagram typologies and healthy personality to psychosocial stress: A network approach," authored by Cristian Ramos-Vera et al., explores the impact of Enneagram personality typologies on psychosocial stress among Peruvian university students. It utilizes network analysis to examine the associations and centrality measures of these typologies, revealing that types 4, 5, and 6 have significant positive associations. The study highlights the role of type 7 in conjunction with a healthy personality in managing stress, indicating causal relationships within the network model.​

• Advancing Ego Development in Adulthood Through Study of the Enneagram System of Personality

  The article titled "Advancing Ego Development in Adulthood Through Study of the Enneagram System of Personality" by David Daniels et al., explores the potential of the Enneagram training programs in the Narrative Tradition to foster ego development in adults. It presents a study involving two groups of participants, comparing those who underwent intensive Enneagram training with those who participated in introductory trainings, measuring ego development through the Washington University Sentence Completion Test (WUSCT) before and after the training period​.

• Enhancing Enneagram Therapy with Contemporary Research on the Conscious and Unconscious Mind

  The article "Enhancing Enneagram Therapy with Contemporary Research on the Conscious and Unconscious Mind" by Christopher Kam, published in Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science in April 2022, discusses the potential for integrating Enneagram therapy with modern research on the conscious and unconscious mind. It examines how the Enneagram's understanding of personality can benefit from and contribute to current scientific insights into the workings of the human psyche, suggesting a multi-level approach to therapy that incorporates contemporary findings on the interaction between conscious and unconscious processes.

• The Enneagram: An Enhancement to Family Therapy

  The Enneagram, an ancient nine-pointed framework for mapping personality styles, serves as a versatile tool within diverse theoretical orientations. Tailored to each individual's distinct characteristics, it supports counselors in understanding clients or families. This document incorporates Enneagram theory within a family systems approach, illustrating its applicability in couple's therapy. Through a case study, it highlights the Enneagram's role in enhancing self-awareness and facilitating therapeutic progress in counseling relationships.

• The Sacred Dance of the Enneagram

  The article "The Sacred Dance of the Enneagram: The History and Meanings Behind G. I. Gurdjieff’s Enneagram Movements," authored by Johanna Petsche, investigates G. I. Gurdjieff's use of the enneagram symbol in his teachings. It explores the symbol's representation of cosmic laws and the significance of the Enneagram Movements in enacting this symbolism, combining primary, secondary, and firsthand sources to delve into its esoteric meanings​.

• The Enneagram and its application in medical education

  The article "The Enneagram and its application in medical education" by Taylor M. Blose et al. examines the role of the Enneagram personality testing system in graduate medical education. It discusses the utilization of personality tests in the medical workplace, their implementation in medical residencies, and highlights the need for further research on the Enneagram's effectiveness in these settings. The authors conclude that the Enneagram could be a valuable tool for enhancing learning, interpersonal relationships, and team dynamics in postgraduate medical education​.

• Understanding medical students' empathy based on Enneagram personality types

  The article "Understanding medical students' empathy based on Enneagram personality types," authored by HyeRin Roh and colleagues, delves into the variations in empathy levels among medical students according to their Enneagram personality types. Utilizing the Jefferson Scale of Empathy and the Korean Enneagram Personality Type Indicator, the study assesses empathy across different Enneagram groupings and types, uncovering significant differences that have implications for medical education and the cultivation of empathetic healthcare professionals​.

• Is enneagram personality system able to predict perceived risk of heart disease and readiness to lifestyle modification?

  The study titled "Is enneagram personality system able to predict perceived risk of heart disease and readiness to lifestyle modification?" by Saeid Komasi et al. investigates the relationship between Enneagram personality types, the perceived risk of heart disease, and the readiness for lifestyle modification. It found that certain personality types, such as Type 3 (Performer), can predict increased readiness for lifestyle changes, while others, like Type 8 (Challenger), show a reverse relationship. This suggests that Enneagram types can influence individuals' perceptions of health risks and their willingness to adopt healthier behaviors​.

• Analysis of medical students' enneagram personality types, stress, and developmental level

  The article titled "Analysis of medical students' enneagram personality types, stress, and developmental level" by Yera Hur and Keum-Ho Lee, published in September 2011 in the Korean Journal of Medical Education, investigates the correlation between Enneagram personality types and levels of stress and development among medical students. The study analyzed various Enneagram subtypes and their impact on students' stress points and developmental stages, aiming to understand how these factors interact and affect medical students' educational experiences​.

• The Enneagram: A Primer for Psychiatry Residents

  The Enneagram is detailed as a personality framework that outlines nine distinct strategies for developing worldviews and managing relationships. Each type is characterized by specific fears, desires, and behavioral patterns that emerge under stress or security, influencing their motivations. Introduced to psychiatry in the 1970s, this document provides an overview of the Enneagram, explores its historical validation, and proposes psychiatric applications, including diagnosis and psychotherapy. With its growing popularity, clinicians stand to gain from understanding this system.

• Fear of (COVID-19) and its relationship to Enneagram patterns among a sample of Yemeni community members

  The study "Fear of COVID-19 and its relationship to Enneagram patterns among a sample of Yemeni community members" by Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Obaidi examines the relationship between COVID-19 fear patterns and Enneagram personality types within a Yemeni community. It investigates how different Enneagram types correlate with the level of fear of COVID-19, finding specific patterns that dominate and their impact on the community's response to the pandemic. The research aims to understand the psychological dynamics in the context of the pandemic's challenges​.

• Combining the enneagram and narrative therapy for adult ego development

  The Enneagram and Narrative Therapy present a promising integration for addressing Adult Ego Development, blending ancient personality insights with modern storytelling interventions. The Enneagram, rooted in spiritual traditions, and Narrative Therapy, which focuses on reshaping personal narratives, offer complementary perspectives for therapeutic progress. This synthesis leverages their shared principles, distinct approaches, and collective strengths to support clients facing ego development challenges, illustrated through an integration example.

• The Effect of a Premarital Educational Program Based on 9- Type Personalities Types (Enneagram) on Emotional Expressiveness of Couples Preparing for Marriage

  The article "The Effect of a Premarital Educational Program Based on 9-Type Personalities Types (Enneagram) on Emotional Expressiveness of Couples Preparing for Marriage" by Farnaz Navabifar, Hamid Atashpour, and Mohsen Golparvar explores how an Enneagram-based premarital educational program can enhance emotional expressiveness among couples. Conducted with a pretest/posttest design, this quasi-experimental study shows that understanding and applying Enneagram personality insights significantly improves the emotional communication between partners preparing for marriage​.

• Effects of care promotion program based on nursing students self-understanding: Application of enneagram group education

  The study "Effects of care promotion program based on nursing students self-understanding: Application of enneagram group education" by Eun-Sun Shin and Sook Lee focuses on the impact of an Enneagram-based care promotion program on nursing students. This quasi-experimental study, conducted with a control and an experimental group, evaluated the program's effectiveness in enhancing students' college life adjustment, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal caring behaviors. Significant positive changes were reported in the experimental group compared to the control group.

Additional Enneagram Resources